The Apple, HTC Drama: All Fizzled Out?

Saturday saw a remarkable declaration of peace by both Apple and HTC – they had locked horns in a patent battle, but decided to drop all litigation and opt for a licensing settlement deal instead. According to both companies’ websites, this settlement has been announced as a win for innovation. The settlement came as a surprise to many, especially given Apple’s outright animosity against all things Android (case in point – Samsung).

However, Tim Cook may be a milder leader than Steve Jobs when it comes to waging legal wars, as this settlement in particular demonstrates. There are reports that he has already indulged in discussions with his counterpart at Google, Larry Cook, to sort out some of the intellectual property issues.

In this particular deal, HTC will have to make payments of $6-8 for each phone to Apple. HTC was the first company whose Android smartphone was targeted by Apple for potential patent infringements. Analysts are hoping that this agreement would act as a blueprint for future deals. While in this instance, the case has been settled rather amicably, it’s hard to predict if Apple would repeat this settlement deal with other Android manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola.